February 16, 2006 Source: Trinity Western University:
http://www.twu.ca/news/view-specific.aspx?newsID=472 Art Talks artist expresses human redemption through media Taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in TWU's Northwest Auditorium, the public event is a partnership with The Verge Arts Series, an interdisciplinary, artistic venture. Based in Los Angeles, Anderson Butler, M.F.A., Assistant Professor of Art at Azusa Pacific University, works in a variety of media including video installation, performance, and photography. Anderson Butler's work deals primarily with the theme of the body's relationship to the spirit. The images he depicts are often human bodies in deliberate, meaningful poses. By using extreme slow motion, in image and sound, Anderson Butler's work often expresses the complexity of spiritual embodiment. "He is totally grounded in a profound faith, and uses a very contemporary language—a visual vernacular, if you will—to communicate it," explains Erica Grimm-Vance, assistant professor of art, TWU. His current work, The Restoration of My Soul, develops the notion of redemption as it occurs within the body. This exploration of biblical narratives in a visual way is a common feature of Anderson Butler's work. In Lament (2004), Anderson Butler takes the image of Mary anointing Christ's feet with oil and wiping them with her hair to express the physical complexity of spirituality. "Within my body," Anderson Butler says in his artist statement, "I experience physical, mental and spiritual phenomena such as pain, pleasure, struggle, redemption, and restoration. In my body I will experience life, death, and, I believe, transcendence." In addition to his teaching position, Butler has a fine repertoire of solo exhibitions and group exhibitions, including work in Florence, Italy and Los Angeles. As part of TWU's Faculty of Professional Studies and Performing Arts (FPSPA) department, this event is a partnership between The Verge Arts Series and Art Talks. The Verge is an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty venture that fosters both artistic scholarship and performative art. Upcoming Verge events include a workshop entitled "Making a living in the arts," (March 11) and an academic conference "(Be)longing: Art and Identity in the Age of Anxiety" (May 4 to 7). Event: "The Restoration of My Soul" with artist Kent Anderson Butler Date: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Northwest Auditorium, Northwest Building at Trinity Western University, 7600 Glover Road, Langley. Cost: $5.00 at door Contact: Jeff Warren at (604) 513-2121 ext. 3573 or jeff.warren@twu.ca Trinity Western University, located in Langley, B.C., is a not-for-profit Christian liberal arts university enrolling over 3,300 students this year. With a broad based, liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University offers undergraduate degrees in 38 major areas of study ranging from business, education and computer science to biology and nursing, and 14 other graduate degrees including counselling psychology, theology and administrative leadership. Keela Keeping
Media Relations Specialist
keela.keeping@twu.ca
513.2027 ext. 3369
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